Easy Ikea Planter Hack

Posted by Dani on July 8, 2013

I was a little short of planters this year.

If you saw the size of my yard, you would understand. It is something short of an acre in size, with all kinds of spaces to care for, clean, and decorate. It’s a little overwhelming. What I would need in order to whip this space into proper shape is a team of indignant Italian mother’s in their 70s, armed with brooms and fueled by the horrible thought that company might drop in and find their daughter’s backyard unkept. And since I only have 1 of those, I usually fall short in keeping this place properly maintained.

I have become an expert in gardening shortcuts. I’ve slowly filled my gardens with perennials that grow with very little TLC. I use my annuals in planters lined with plastic and heavily mulched to keep the moisture from evaporating, reducing the need to water. I always choose drought resistant plants in areas that are too far from the hose to water really easily. And I tell myself I actually like the wild and weedy look.

It’s a bit of a dog-eat-dog, Darwinian kind of garden. This year, after I was done planting for the season, I found some hanging planters of annuals on sale for only $5.99. These were already in full bloom, and I bought a few, thinking I would just plunk them on the ground here and there to add some colour. This worked out great for a few days, until I realized that the small size of the container meant the plants dried out on a hot day and would require daily watering. Not a chance of this happening!

The answer was to replant them in a larger plastic pot that would hold much more water, but I didn’t really feel like buying a pile of new pricey planters. So I stole Nads idea and headed off to Ikea to buy some of their plastic Fniss waste baskets for $2.99. They come in 3 colours – transluscent white, red, and black. Nads has a series of black ones running down the stairs from her deck that look sharp and hold all her herbs. I thought the white would work better in my space.

Here’s the easy tutorial:

Grab yourself a drill, or a handy man with a drill, and drill a bunch of large holes in the bottom. Here we made 3 holes with a ¾” bit. Line the bottom with gravel. Voilà, you now have a $2.99 planter.

I used 2 of the planters for the corners of the lounging area near the pool. These were just hanging pots of lobelia, which looked like giant purple chia pets. Kind of cute, but more importantly they are drought resistant!

Here’s a closer look:

And here’s what they looked like afterwards. I do like the height better. This was quick, cheap, and easy – my kind of Ikea hack. And I haven’t had to water them since!

Smartie pants! I love Ikea hacks! This one is great. I’m always short of planters here. I’ve resorted to metal ice buckets and watering cans in the past! Ok, your pool area is seriously like something right out of a magazine!

Great and clever idea Daniela! Love your lounge are and lucky you to have a pool! I’m sure you really enjoy it every summer! Love your lobelia – I bought a beutiful big white one this summer!! Pinning!